Tuesday, May 7, 2002 When Steve Waugh sat down to write his ninth and latest tour diary a few months ago he almost ran out of adjectives describing the qualities of Simon Katich. Admirable. Uncomplicated. Authority. Calmness. Excellent. They are words that speak of a genuine talent, not a fleeting sensation. So there must be some other explanation, some more sinister explanation, for why Katich's name was nowhere to be seen last Wednesday when the ACB announced its new batch of 25 contracted players.

One does not need to look too far for the answer. It is the same reason why Barry Shepherd played only nine Tests, Ken Meuleman one and Ian Brayshaw none. The answer lies, quite simply, in Katich's birthplace: Western Australia.

It would be wrong to suggest there is a systematic bias against cricketers from WA. That has not been the case since at least the early 1980s when WA's Magnificent Seven - Lillee, Marsh, Hughes, Wood, Laird, Alderman and Yardley - were the mainstay of the Test side, and probably not since 1973 when WA was finally afforded a second ACB delegate out of 14 (New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have three apiece, utterly incongruously, but that's another story).

No, Katich's problem is not where he comes from but where he spends most of his time batting. The WACA is a terrific place to bat once your eye is in. The bounce is reliable and the outfield electric. It is also, however, the most unusual of Australia's first-class wickets, with the trampolining lift requiring the majority of batsmen - unless they happen to be of West Indian origin - to make significant technical adjustments.

This puts a visiting batsman from interstate at an immediate disadvantage. Equally, though, it gives him a distinct overall advantage in that he has to adjust his style - from slow wicket to fast wicket and back again - only once or twice a season. A WA batsman, who plays at least 10 games at the WACA and another 10 around the rest of the country, must make the same adjustment umpteen times.

This might explain why virtues like rhythm and momentum tend to be more elusive for a batsman if he happens to play for WA. It might also explain, in a roundabout kind of way, why Katich is feeling a bit lighter in the pocket this week.

If this sounds too much like dark conspiracy theorising, then consider the facts. In the entire history of Australian first-class cricket a West Australian has finished as the season's leading runscorer on only four occasions: Katich (1282 runs) in 2000-01, Geoff Marsh (1200) in 1986-87 and Bob Simpson twice in 1960-61 (1541) and 1959-60 (902).

Furthermore, apart from making it tougher to break into the Test side, the constant chopping and changing historically poses an extra challenge for WA batsmen once they get there. Until two years ago not a single WA batsman, among those who have played more than 20 Tests, had managed a career average above 38. Players as gifted as Kim Hughes (average 37.41), Bruce Laird (35.28), Geoff Marsh (33.18) and Graeme Wood (31.83) all enjoyed lengthy Test careers but endured puzzlingly mediocre records.

That phenomenon would appear a thing of the past. With established international cricketers lucky to play two Pura Cup matches a season these days, WA batsmen face no discernible disadvantage - a theory supported by the voracious feats of Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer. There is no reason why Katich, a dazzling puller and a batsman of unwavering concentration, cannot be equally prolific if he ever gets the chance.

It will be a surprise if he doesn't, despite last week's slap on the wrist. The recent record of Australia's selectors - not least in the days when WA's own Lawrie Sawle was picking the side - is impeccable, and it would be out of character for them to write off Katich after one ordinary season. It may be that last week's announcement was intended as a shrewd wake-up call. Australia has long had a predilection for blooding precocious young batsmen and, at 26, Katich no longer quite fits that bill. Now is the time for him to make hay.

One thing is certain: Katich's prospects look better than those of Damien Fleming, the ageing Victorian swinger, who has also lost his ACB contract. With 75 wickets from 20 Tests, the injury-ravaged Fleming is perhaps the finest Australian bowler of the last 50 years not to take 100 Test wickets. Had he played an Ashes series abroad, he would surely have emulated Terry Alderman by picking off at least 40 English scalps. Had he played in the last Ashes series ahead of Brett Lee, Australia would surely have won 5-0. Even now, if an English county signed him up he would surely become the first bowler since Courtney Walsh four years ago to take 100 wickets in a summer.

It would be a shame if his high action, booming outswing and ready smile were lost forever to the international stage. Fleming, for his part, believes he can still make Australia's World Cup squad, and let's hope he's right. He might have an old body but he is still only 32. He has lost little of his supreme mastery of swing. And he has something else going for him too.

He plays for the right state.

Chris Ryan is a former managing editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly and a former Darwin correspondent of the Melbourne Age.

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